Articles & Case Studies

Hanson Formpave Completes Largest Permeable Paving Project in North America

Posted: Wednesday 7th January 2009

In partnership with Canadian licensee Abbotsford Concrete Products.

Hanson anson Formpave, in partnership with appointed Canadian licensee Abbotsford Concrete Products Ltd, has completed the largest permeable paving project in North America to date.

The car parking area at the Marine Market Way shopping centre in Burnaby, British Columbia, spans more than 30,000 metres2, offers customers over 1,000 car parking spaces and now boasts a new environmentally friendly paving solution. Hanson Formpave’s Aquaflow permeable paving was specified at the site in order to provide a sustainable paving solution that handles storm water, whilst ensuring an aesthetically pleasing finish. With space at a minimum, the permeable paving system eradicated the need for a pond or any other wetland and so provided more space for building and dedicated parking.

“The permeable paving system efficiently handles large storm water events, and also removing hydrocarbons and heavy metals from the captured rainwater, making it an ideal solution for our client,” said Anders Danielsson, technical sales at Hanson Formpave’s licensee, Abbotsford Concrete Products. “This site is also only 1 mile from the Fraser River and so the ability to release cleaned water at a steady rate back into the water source, while eradicating any flood risk was crucial.”

The roofs of the shopping complex are also integrated with the Aquaflow SUDS system. Roof rainwater runs down onto the permeable paving and is filtered and stored in the same way as the rain falling directly onto the permeable surface. The paving was laid using a 45 degree herringbone effect with an incredible average daily laying rate of 6,000 sqft per day. Two different colour blocks were used for demarcation of the car park surface.

“During construction, the area received the heaviest one-day rainfall in 5 years. The permeable pavement stood up to the test and handled the storm water effectively, filtering it down into the subbase within seconds of the rainwater hitting the paving,” concluded Danielsson.

Hanson Formpave manufactures the market leading Aquaflow™ Permeable Paving and Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS), providing an affordable solution to the challenges of storm water disposal and treatment, water conservation, recycling and reuse. The company’s patented Aquaflow paving system delivers immediate environmental benefits and financial savings, when compared to traditional drainage. The system can also be used to harvest and reuse all water that falls on hard surfaces such as roofs and car parks, representing additional environmental benefits and cost savings.